Page 4 2026 Animal Stories Lincoln Daily News February 2026 Dolly Jesse Daugherty and her service dog When you walk into Jesse Daugherty's classroom, you may notice a furry companion sitting under her desk or near her as she teaches. The sweet dog is Dolly Mae, her service dog, who helps Daugherty manage her Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) by recognizing when she might have a fainting spell. An article by David Harris on “Service dogs for POTS” explains, “POTS service dogs are trained to perform tasks that directly address the symptoms of the condition. They help their handlers navigate the challenges of living with POTS by providing symptom alerts, physical assistance, and emotional reassurance.” These dogs can help alert people to symptoms, provide them with physical support, retrieve items, use deep pressure therapy to calm the handler, help reduce stress and provide support when symptoms arise. Daugherty says, “When I was first diagnosed, they informed me that treatment for POTS was limited and I should look at other avenues. The nurse told me that some patients she was familiar with looked into service dogs. My love for animals had me looking immediately into how a service dog could help me. Initially, Daugherty said, “I knew nothing about service dogs, but quickly became familiar with the ins and outs of laws, regulations, dos and don'ts. I did research on training my own service dog but with my new condition, that seemed impossible. We then started looking at different organizations, paid and nonprofit. There are very few service dog organizations in the state of Illinois, so this also posed some trouble.”
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